Giants' Jerrel Jernigan gets shot at long-sought redemption

Giants slot receiver Jerrel Jernigan will get a chance to play extended minutes with Victor Cruz out the last two games of the season.

(Jim O'Connor/USA TODAY Sports)

Jerrel Jernigan was asked what took him so long. The Giants have waited three long and often frustrating seasons for him to flash the dazzling speed and moves that made him a third-round pick out of tiny Troy University.

It was hard to argue with his answer.

"I’ve been sitting behind the best slot receiver in the game right now in Victor Cruz," he said.

But Jernigan was supposed to be the player Cruz has become. Cruz was an undrafted rookie free agent out of UMass in 2010 who the Giants decided to bring to camp on a nothing-to-lose tryout.

Jernigan was their guy. The Giants thought they had found a hidden gem when they plucked him out of Troy after a record-setting career. He was fast and explosive. At 5-foot-8, 189 pounds, he had the perfect frame to be a dynamic slot receiver.

Cruz, however, exploded on the scene in 2011 and just signed a five-year, $43-million extension. Entering this season, Jernigan had just three receptions for 22 yards in 17 career games. The organization’s patience with him was wearing thin.

Then last Sunday rolled around and Jernigan turned in a performance that coach Tom Coughlin said "inspired him."

Replacing an injured Cruz in the slot in a 23-0 loss to the Seahawks, Jernigan caught seven passes for 67 yards (both career-highs). He displayed the speed and run after the catch ability the Giants believed he had, catching short crossing route and darting up the field.

Jernigan, who has 17 catches for 159 yards this season and will replace Cruz in the slot, injured his knee last week. He’s listed as questionable against the Lions.

"It was good to get out there and help my team out and make some plays and show the coaches that I’m capable of making big plays, getting explosive plays and run after the catch," Jernigan said.

The crowning moment for Jernigan came when he caught a 14-yard pass over the middle in which Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor drilled him and was flagged for hitting a defenseless receiver.

Despite the bone-jarring shot, Jernigan gathered himself and remained in the game. He said it was the hardest hit he has taken in his football career.

"His toughness was outstanding the other day," Coughlin said. "Even running his kickoffs up in there. He barreled up in there and got knocked around side-to-side, spun around.

"And then that play he made late (in the fourth quarter) when Chancellor came and stuck him and he spun out of that and kept going. I was inspired by that."

Jernigan, who played the slot in college, has battled injuries during his first two seasons but he has also had opportunities that he didn’t take advantage of. The Giants have auditioned him as their primary kickoff returner as well. He has 11 returns for 246 yards this season.

"It hasn’t been frustrating at all because I’m sitting back and learning," Jernigan said. "The stuff Victor shows me in practice and the things I see him do. Whenever I got my chance, I was confident I knew what to do when I got out there."

Coughlin wasn’t the only one impressed by Jernigan’s play. Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride gushed about his performance.

"I thought he came in and did a terrific job," Gilbride said. "He came in and showed the quickness that we always knew he had. I thought he made great decisions in the zone coverages. He obviously can run after the catch, which we tried to exploit and take advantage of.

"Some of the those things where we throw a ball underneath and let him catch it and run, that can offset the pass rush. Then, you got an example to see his toughness. It was great to see him play like that. We’ve been kind of waiting and feeling that he has that ability. To see it manifest itself the way it did was very encouraging."